1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nucleic acid detecting cassette for detecting nucleic acid, a nucleic acid detecting device utilizing the nucleic acid detecting cassette and a nucleic acid detecting system utilizing the nucleic acid detecting device, particularly, to a nucleic acid detecting closed cassette adapted to an automatic successive processing throughout the entire procedure of detecting the target nucleic acid including the step of putting a sample containing nucleic acid into the nucleic acid detecting cassette, the amplification of nucleic acid and other required processing, and the detection of the target nucleic acid, as well as to a nucleic acid detecting deice and a nucleic acid detecting system each utilizing the particular nucleic acid detecting cassette.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a result of the advent of the technology for amplifying nucleic acid and the improvement in the technology for detecting nucleic acid, the detection of a specified DNA strand has come to be propagated. However, in the amplification of nucleic acid, it may be possible for the environment to be contaminated by the amplified nucleic acid. Also, since complex operations relating to, for example, the temperature conditions, the injection of the solution, and the mixing of the solutions are required for the detection of nucleic acid, the detection of nucleic acid by the application of these technologies is limited to that for the testing and the research.
Proposed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,297 is a throwaway type closed detection container in which a series of operations starting with the processing of a sample containing nucleic acid and ending with the detection of the target nucleic acid are automatically carried out in succession. Also disclosed is a detecting apparatus using the particular detection container. The detection container and the detecting apparatus disclosed in the U.S. patent document quoted above are intended to overcome the above-noted problems so as to make it possible to detect nucleic acid in, for example, a hospital, a clinical laboratory, and a quarantine office.
To be more specific, disclosed in the U.S. patent document quoted above is a channel structure in which a series of steps starting with the amplification and ending with the inspection of nucleic acid, which are carried out by utilizing a pouch type cuvette, can be carried out continuously. However, the pouch type cuvette is unstable in shape so as to give rise to the problem that an undesirable entry of air bubbles is unavoidable in the injecting stage of the solution.